This invention concerns a retrofit coolant supply system for small machine tools such as milling machines, drill presses, and the like often not equipped with a built in system for supplying cutting fluid to the machining zone.
It sometimes happens that a particular use of the machine makes it desirable to have the capability of supplying cutting fluid to the machining zone.
A suitable supply arrangement must be effective in collecting the coolant after it has been directed from a nozzle in a jet at the cutting tool and workpiece the coolant cascades down the machine surfaces.
Preferably, any retrofitted system should be simple to install and simply configured to be low in cost.
One such arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,387 to Wade, utilizing a pan fixed beneath the base of a machine. This approach requires substantial effort in installation, and does not appear to be configured to be particularly effective in collecting the coolant-cutting fluid for recirculation.